RITA finalist and USA Today bestselling author Ruthie Knox kicks off a steamy new series set in the city that never sleeps—alone, at least.

May Fredericks hates New York. Which is fair enough, since New York seems to hate her back. After relocating to Manhattan from the Midwest to be with her long-distance boyfriend, NFL quarterback Thor Einarsson, May receives the world’s worst marriage proposal, stabs the jerk with a shrimp fork, and storms off alone—only to get mugged. Now she’s got no phone, no cash, and no friends. How’s a nice girl supposed to get back to safe, sensible Wisconsin?

Frankly, Ben Hausman couldn’t care less. Sure, it’s not every day he meets a genuine, down-to-earth woman like May—especially in a dive in the Village—but he’s recovering from an ugly divorce that cost him his restaurant. He wants to be left alone to start over and become a better man. Then again, playing the white knight to May’s sexy damsel in distress would be an excellent place to start—if only he can give her one very good reason to love New York.

My Review

Here's the short-and-sweet of it...

I loved Truly. The probability was high given that I'm a fan of Ruthie Knox. There was so many thing about this book that appealed to me. We get great leading characters on Ben and May. May is get a tall, easy-going woman who stabbed her pro-football player boyfriend with a fork, left their home and got robbed. Our guy Ben, is a bee-keeper/farmer who's soon-to-be homeless and has anger-control issues. They sound like a perfect pair, yeah? Well, they are. Determined to make May fall in love with NYC over Labor Day weekend, Ben helps May find the vibrant, beautiful, assertive woman within. May sees Ben as not the angry, aggressive man he thinks he is, but a man with real childhood issues and who's looking for happiness in the wrong places.

Knox did a fantastic job with the setting. I left Truly feeling as if I'd actually been in NYC. The characters' passion for and beer appealed to me, too. In addition to setting, Knox is pretty brilliant with the finer details as far as non-verbal cues: the press of lips against skin, the grip of fingers on hips, thrusts, pulls, bites...it all makes for a heady experience.

True to form for Knox, Truly was an insightful, sexy, romantic story. I loved the setting, the characters, conflicts, and the journey to the HEA. This one may even top About a Last Night as my favorite Ruthie Knox book. I'm hoping Madly will be about May's sister, Allie, who had a great secondary story.

If you're looking to expand your Ruthie Knox reading list, or if you want to give her a first try, I highly recommend Truly.

Quick side note: I loved that May was a tall woman who had long-standing issues with that. Being pretty much the same size as May's described as, I heavily identified with her. Always feeling self-conscious, apologetic, and like a oaf in a world of 5'2 women. I loved Ben's no-nonsense take on the situation (one my own husband has expressed since I met him): "I don't have an opinion on your height." "Don't apologize for being tall. You're fucking perfect." Whether you're tall or not, a lot of us have some issue. These word were a much-needed reminded that you don't have to apologize for not being perfect, and that it is okay to just be.

Favorite Quotes

"New York thinks you need a vacation here, and it's not letting you go until you give it a few more days to change your mind about it."

May looked at her shoes, the smile still lingering. "If New York wants to woo me, it shouldn't be such a dick."

This isn't me, a voice whispered in her head. But of course it was. These were the choices she got to make.... Whether to tease Ben, to climb on top of his lap and kiss him, to sleep in his bed. Whether to go after what she wanted, sex or authenticity or truth--even if it turned out to be both disgusting and amazing, scary and essential.

These were her decisions and nobody else's.

For two steps, she watched him go. Three. Her heart squeezed hard, her inner asshole chastising her, stupid, stupid, and then it happened all at once. A bright flash of anger-at herself, at every movie and TV show and magazine, every insidious cultural message that had ever told her that her body sucked.

It was all a bunch of lies,and she knew that. She knew it.But here she was, letting it ruin everything.

About Ruthie Knox

USA Today bestselling author Ruthie Knox writes contemporary romance that’s sexy, witty, and angsty—sometimes all three at once. Her debut novel, Ride with Me, is probably the only existing cross-country bicycling love story. She followed it up with About Last Night, a London-set romance whose hero has the unlikely name of Neville, and then Room at the Inn, a Christmas novella—both of which were finalists for the Romance Writers of America’s RITA Award. Her four-book series about the Clark family of Camelot, Ohio, has won accolades for its fresh, funny portrayal of small-town Midwestern life. Ruthie also writes New Adult romance as RobinYork. She moonlights as a mother, Tweets incessantly, and bakes a mean focaccia. She’d love to hear from you, so feel free to drop her a line.

18 comments:

Yay for a tall chick. I'm 5'11, but have always been pretty confident with my height. I love it. I credit my grandma for my confidence in that area. But it's always great to find characters who aren't all teeny tiny.

A bee-keeper? That's the first time I've met a guy in a romance novels who does this. Awesome! (Though secretly shudders because bees. Ew.) I love the sound of this passion and chemistry ;) And yeah? You're tall! I'm between 5'2 and 5'1. I love that Ben thinks of this as perfection rather than annoying and it's super cute and sexy. So happy you enjoyed!

Oh man! She stabbed her ex with a fork? That is awesome! I already love the sound of this girl. I'm glad that the author tackled body image issues through the main character. I'm so sick that even today we live in a society that shames different body types. Anyways, you know how much I loved Deeper by this author, so I'm thinking I need to try something by her. Lovely review, Andrea! And you have an awesome husband who is as lucky to have you! :)

I adored this book!!!! Romances haven't really felt like romances lately (does that make any sense??) but this story just swept me away. Between the setting and the characters it was a giant swoon fest for me. lol

It's not that I'm looking to expand my Ruthie Knox reading list, I'm looking forward to start reading her books, period. I've only read her works under Robin York, so just NA (and what amazing NA Romance she writes). I've always been curious to read her other works and you're really making me want to start right away, Andrea!

This sounds really good, Andrea! Wonderful review! I enjoyed About Last Night too. I love it when an author can make a setting come alive so you feel as though you were there. As far as your height, I think we all have something physically that makes us feel insecure, something that no one else views as a negative but we somehow do. I know I have things I feel self-conscious about, too! :)

I just finished reading this and immediately started my review and I'm totally blown away ny how similar our reviews are. Granted I didn't relate to May's height issue I still felt a valid connection to both characters. I'm in a state of book induced euphoria right now. I thought I loved Knox before but I'm even deeper after having finished this one. Fantastic review babe!!! Love the quotes you chose too. I have a shitload to sort through!

This sounds amazin. I haven't read anything by Ruthie Knox but I did read Deeper and Harder by Robin York (her pen name). These are new adult romance and are my favourite reads of the year so far, so I think it's about time I crack on with some of her adult stuff.

Oh, I really need to read more of Knox. I do love her writing and Truly sounds incredible. I like that the characters don't seem right for each other at all and yet absolutely are. Great review, Andrea!